The Conjuring

Movie:  The Conjuring
Major Actors: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston
Rating: R
Best Audience: Adults who exhibit bladder control

Review:

There is a lot to say about this movie.  First things first, I did not expect to see it on opening weekend.  I was going to see RIPD with my Movie Buddy and someone got the time wrong (not pointing fingers...).  So I had thought about seeing the Conjuring eventually; plus it was the only thing playing at that time.  I had only seen some teaser trailers for it, so did not know what to expect.

Director James Wan has scared me to death in the past with Saw, Dead Silence, and Insidious.  His latest movie, "The Conjuring" is a clear attempt to bring to horror movie genre back its golden age:  the 70's.  This is not for the mere fact that the film is set in the 70's.  It is also the style and feel of the movie.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were paranormal investigators, best known for investigating the Amityville Horror.  This is how Wan is able to show off the coveted phrase "Based on a True Story."  This phrase is thrown around far too casually in horror movies.  I think it is because a horror movie will do a better job at scaring you if you believe it could actually happen.  The movie is based on a couple of the real-life cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Ed Warren (played by Patrick Wilson, who was also in Insidious) was a demonologist, that looked at these paranormal cases with a Christian point of view.  Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga, who currently stars in Bates Motel) was a trance medium. 

I believe as a horror film, this movie does have a lot of originality.  Oh, I know....you have seen a lot of the plot before:  "A family moves into an old home and weird things start happening."  There is so much more to it than that.  First of all, the movie follows two families:  the family being tortured by the strange occurences, as well as the Warren family.  Second of all, the movie also contains a couple other of the Warren's cases.  I believe it is original, not because it presents something new...but because it combines so many elements.  This film has witches, ghosts, demons, and human killers.  Usually a horror movie only has one of those.  I mean, it even has an evil doll!

The fright is real.  It was exhausting, actually.  The thrills just come one after another.  I actually felt physically exhausted from the sheer terror I was experiencing.  Hands down, this was the scariest movie I've ever seen in my life.  People in the theatre weren't just screaming, they were shreiking. 

I kind of want to see it again because I had to cover my eyes on a lot of parts.  So now I want to see the parts I was too chicken to experience the first time.

Despicable Me 2

Movie:  Despicable Me 2
Major Actor: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Nasim Pedrad
Rating: PG
Best Audience: Children age 2 to adults.

Review:

This is really a movie you can enjoy along with your children.  It is very funny.  In the movie, Steve Carell returns as Gru, a former villain.  Kristen Wiig's character, Lucy, recruits Gru to go undercover to try to find a new notorious villain since Gru has experience with his own past as a brilliant villainous mastermind.

This movie has excellent casting.  Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig actually manage to have on-screen chemistry, despite the fact all their acting was done in a recording studio.  I was shocked that Russell Brand played Dr. Nefario.  I mean, Brand is British...but not that kind of British.  He changes his voice completely.  Wonderful acting.

My favorite parts of the movie involved Gru (Carell) trying to keep his daughter away from a smooth-talking Latino teenager.  Hilarity ensued. 

The Lone Ranger

Movie:  The Lone Ranger
Major Actor: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter
Rating: PG13
Best Audience: Older children, teenagers, adults

Review:

This movie is getting some bad reviews and I can kind of see why.

I liked a lot of parts of this movie, but I agree that overall, it was not very good.

I did not like the bumbling action sequences.  The first train sequence in the movie was simply John Reid--The Lone Ranger (played by Armie Hammer) and Tonto (played by Johnny Depp) stumbling into these coincidental escapes from danger.  Their characters put forth minimal effort in trying to escape danger.  They just kept encountering easy-outs. 

Helena Bonham Carter's character was completely unnecessary to the whole movie.  I don't know why she was even in there. 

John Reid's love interest was his brother's widow.  I don't care if your late husband's brother is Armie Hammer....women do not move on THAT quickly after their husbands die!

I absolutely love Johnny Depp.  I'm a huge fan and always have been.  However, I did not like his character.  His character was a terrible depiction and ignorant stereotype of Native Americans.  And while we are on the subject, I DID feel this movie would be terribly offensive to Native Americans.  They actually used the term "Noble Savage" in the film!  The villains in the movie even paint their faces red to dress up like Natives.  How is that not like "black face?"   I know the original show "The Lone Ranger" was very offensive to Native communities.  Instead of correcting that in the modern adaptation, they would rather have Johnny Depp paint his face than cast an actual Native American.  They would rather portray Native Americans in a stereotypical fashion than actually learn how enduring Western tribes actually live. 

Historical inaccuracies always make me think less of any film.  In this one, the Lone Ranger asserts that he is with the Health Department making sure a building is up to "code" in one scene.  There had been some attempts at building codes by the time this film is set, but it was more in larger cities for industrial purposes and not very rampant...certainly not properly enforced. 

Good things about this film:  I loved the whole last 15 minutes.  The last train sequence was excellent in true Verbinski fashion.  I loved the casting of Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger.  He did a great job, and because of this movie, I do want to see more of him as an actor.  I hope this role opens more doors for him and I look forward to any of his future work.  This movie did also have some funny moments (i.e. Tonto's reaction to John Reid's classic line "Hi-O Silver!"). 

Overall, not great. 

The Heat

Movie:  The Heat
Major Actors: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Marlon Wayans, Jane Curtin, Taran Killam, Michael McDonald
Rating: R
Best Audience: Adults only

Review:

The best thing about the Heat is the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.  Both are individually so talented.  Both have a history of comedic brilliance.  Together, they play off each other's strengths as actors and really make the funny lines and physical comedy feel natural. 

I also loved the fact that Marlon Wayans is playing it "straight" in this movie. He usually plays silly, comedic roles, and in this film, he is the "straight man." 

The only downside to this movie is that the "big twist" of who the real bad guy is ends up being quite predictable.  However, this is a comedy, so that doesn't matter much.  The main thing is that this movie is FUNNY.  I also love the fact that it has two women as the lead actors in movie roles that are usually played by men. 

This movie has a lot of strong language.  So be wary of that before you see it. 

World War Z

Movie:  World War Z
Major Actors: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Matthew Fox
Rating: PG 13
Best Audience: Older children, teenagers, adults

Review:

I liked a lot about World War Z.  As a zombie movie, I appreciated some originality.  At times, the zombies acted more like insects than drones or rabid animals, so that was different.  I also liked how they solved the zombie problem.  I won't give it away, but it is a solution that has not been used in any other zombie films.  I loved how they actually used the word "zombie."  Many zombie films shy away from using that word. 

I thought much of the film was unrealistic.  Here I will spoil a few minor things (that won't spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it).  Israel built a huge wall around the city and were completely sealed off from any zombies at all.  The reason they built the wall was discussed, but I did not think it was a valid/realistic/plausible reason.  Also, Brad Pitt survives a horrendous plane crash.  That was not realistic at all.  I know it's a fictional movie, but even within the zombie-movie world, you have to make the major plot points believable!

We won't even talk about the fact that the movie is absolutely NOTHING like the book.  At. All.

I did not like the movie's pace.  Usually films are slow at the beginning and fast-paced at the end.  This film was the total opposite.  It started out going super fast up front and the last 30 minutes of the film were very slow.  That was unusual. 

The worst thing about this movie is that it was not very character driven.  The movie does not give you a reason to form a connection with any of the characters (not even the main character).  To me, that is the most basic element a good movie needs and that element was simply not there.

If you go see this movie, you will be very entertained if you are not picky about its flaws.  If you are a picky movie-goer, you will not enjoy this.  If you go to movies for action, explosions, and guts, you will like this.

Man of Steel

Movie:  Man of Steel
Major Actors:
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner
Rating: PG 13
Best Audience: Older children, teenagers, adults

Review:

This film delved more into the alien side of Superman than previous Superman films have done. The movie starts off with a pretty thorough backstory on Superman's beginnings.  The movie did jump back and forth in time at the beginning.  This jumping did not make it hard to follow, it just didn't feel like the transitions were very smooth.  I felt certain important details were left unexplained as the plot unfolded as well.  I don't want to say which, so as not to spoil anyone.  But I left the theatre with questions.  I will partially spoil this part though:  after Lois and Clark kiss at the end, Lois--played by Amy Adams--says the cheesiest line ever.  Just brace yourselves for that one. 

And why did Lois and Clark kiss?  Because they are supposed to!  I know.  However, I did not feel like the things that happened in the movie were leading them to be together romantically.  That is to say...I did not feel the film lent itself to the development of a romantic relationship between Lois and Clark--and yet it still happened.  Lois was thrust into the action as a "damsel in distress" type and Superman--played by sexy Henry Cavill--was constantly having to save her.  I understand why her character would fall for Superman in that situation, but I simply felt like their chemistry was gravely lacking.

Aside from their relationship and the jumpy transitions, I actually really enjoyed "Man of Steel."  It is by far the best Superman movie (and yes, I have seen a few of them). 

Monsters University

Movie:  Monsters University
Major Actors:
Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Aubrey Plaza, Bobby Moynihan Rating: G
Best Audience: Children and Families

Review:
Monsters University is a great film for the kids.  It is the sequel to Monsters Inc. which came out in 2001.  Just to give you an idea of how long ago that was:  When Monsters Inc. came out, I was 14.  Now I'm 26.  Crazy.

Anyway, Monsters University goes back in time to when Mike and Sully were in college studying to become "Scarers," which is the ultimate career in the Monster world.  Along with the funny moments come lessons about teamwork, being yourself, and doing the right thing.  If you have children, or are a child at heart, you'd probably enjoy this movie.  I must admit, I forgot a lot about the original, so I may have to rewatch Monsters Inc. to brush up on some of the things I forgot.

My Top 10 Favorite Movies

This is not REMOTELY objective.  These are my PERSONAL favorite films of all time. 

My Top 10 (+)

10. Little Miss Sunshine
9. Silver Linings Playbook
8. I Heart Huckabees
7. Fight Club
6. The Dark Knight
5. Garden State
4. Jerry McGuire
3.5 The Royal Tennenbaums (This is an edit...I left this one out originally...forgot about it)
3. The Departed
2. Love Actually
1. Sleepy Hollow

 

I will talk about "Sleepy Hollow."  I've loved this movie since I was 13.  I love a good mystery, and this is a wonderful "whodunit." Johnny Depp was at his peak of comedic and dramatic brilliance.  The setting is beautiful, albeit in a dark and dreary 1799 New England town.  Tim Burton does not hesitate to throw as much blood at Johnny Depp at possible, so it is a bit gorey.  This is a liberal adaptation of the famous "Sleepy Hollow," story, but it is great.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Movie:  Star Trek:  Into Darkness
Major Actors: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch
Rating: PG 13
Best Audience: Older children, teenagers, adults

Review:
I will preface this review by saying this:  I am not a Star Trek fan.  My brother and father are, but I am not.  However, I was a huge fan of the 2009 Star Trek (this film's predecessor).  I am a big fan of most things JJ Abrams does.  He directed the 2009 film as well as this one.

As the "Dark Knight" is to "Batman Begins," so is "Star Trek: Into Darkness" to "Star Trek."  That is to say...this movie owns.  Everything about it was excellent.  It was unpredictable, well written, action-packed, and character driven.  Benedict Cumberbatch was a superb villain.  In my opinion, Cumberbatch made this movie.

You do not have to be a fan of Star Trek to enjoy "Star Trek:  Into Darkness."

Iron Man 3

Movie:  Iron Man 3
Major Actors:
Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau, Paul BettanyRating: PG13
Best Audience: Older children, teenagers, adults

Review:
I had seen Iron Man 1 & 2 by the time this movie came out, but I must confess...I was actually one of the few people that did not see The Avengers.  So I decided that since The Avengers looked more like it should have been called "Iron Man and the Avengers," I wanted to see it first.  I'm glad I did.  Iron Man's experience with The Avengers was definitely a big part of the third Iron Man. 

Of course, Iron Man 3 was very action-packed and humorous, just like the previous films.  I still maintain that Don Cheadle steals the show, which is difficult to do from Robert Downey Jr.  Even if you haven't seen the Iron Man 1 & 2 or The Avengers, you would still enjoy this film for sheer entertainment purposes...you just may be a little confused.  I hate to tell people to do homework before they see a movie, but this film is best enjoyed when you know what happened in the previous films.